Other Features: the flowers are followed by white, often blue-tinged fruit; the fruits may cause a mild stomach ache if ingested

Hardiness: fully hardy

Clusters of white flowers in May and June and oval, dark green leaves, which redden in autumn and fall to reveal bright, yellow-olive winter stems. The stems of this dogwood look stunning planted alongside salmon-pink and red-stemmed varieties. An excellent specimen plant for sunny, moist areas of the garden. It's particularly effective near water.

Garden care: In March cut the stems back hard to within 5-8cm from the ground and apply a generous 5-7cm mulch of well-rotted garden compost or horse manure around the base of the plant. Where border space is limited restrict the spread of the plant by removing one in four of the stems each year.

Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'

dogwood

Erythronium 'Pagoda'

dog's tooth violet bulbs

A colourful choice for moist woodland

£2.39

5 bulbs
available to order from summer 2015

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Dear Crocus I am wanting to create a " winter garden " area and fancy an Acer griseum as the central feature. I had thought of planting a Cornus Midwinter Fire and Bergenia 'Bressingham Ruby' to complement the scheme but I would welcome any other suggestions please. Many thanks Claire

Hello Claire, If you click on the following link it will take you to all our winter flowering plants. I would definitely recommend hellebores and snowdrops, perhaps some Cyclamen and and Euonymus fortunei for foliage colour. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/vid.204/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Answered on 3/1/2010 by Crocus Helpdesk

Q:

Specimen Ceanothus or another large bushy shrub....

Good afternoon, When I was first looking for a Ceanothus to replace the one we have in our front garden, I looked on your website, but you only had small ones. Our once lovely Ceanothus has been pruned out of all recognition again this year, as I planted it a bit too near our boundary when it was a baby. I know it may come back, but it is getting ridiculous as every time it grows back it has to be cut back again severely and then ooks a mess for most of the year. Have you got a nice, tall, bushy Ceanothus to replace it? I love my Ceanothus but perhaps if you don't have a big one, do you have another large, flowering shrub as an alternative? Hope you can help Regards Margaret

Hello Margaret, it is rare to find larger sized Ceanothus as they are usually quite short-lived and don't normally live longer than 6 - 8 years. We do have a selection of larger shrubs on our site like Hamamelis, Hydrangeas, Magnolias, Acer, Cornus, Cotinus, Philadelphus, Syringa and Viburnum, so you may find something of interest. They will be listed in this section. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Answered on 12/8/2009 by Crocus Helpdesk

Q:

Which plants are Deer proof?

I want a list of Deer proof plants please. It`s either a change in habitat or environment, but I get total devastation now and in the last two years they come up the drive.

Deer can be a real problem and deer proof plants are usually thorny, poisonous or simply taste awful, but it is hard to give a definitive list as you might get the odd deer with unusual tastes which might like the bitter taste! Below is a list of good plants that generally are quite successful though. Cornus varieties, Rhus, Sophora, Solanum, Berberis, Rosemary, Buxus, Cotoneaster, Ilex, Pyracantha, Garrya, Juniperus, Nandina, Elaeagnus, Aralia, Aucuba, Cortaderia, Yucca, Santolina, Hypericum, Myrtle, Vinca, Achillea, Digitalis, Echinacea and Dryopteris. Finally, fencing is one method to protect garden crops from deer. Since deer jump, you need an 8-foot fence for best results or stout chicken-wire fencing securely around smaller garden plots. Alternatively, fence the area with a thorny shrub, preferably something that will grow to at least 6 feet. Deer eat roses and some thorns but hawthorn, boxwood and holly will exclude them. Deer are also deterred by dogs, hanging aluminum foil, mirrors, wood that hits objects in the wind and other noise-makers. Some old-fashioned repellents are human hair and blood and bonemeal. Hanging bars of fragrant deodorant soap from branches may work. Other well-known deer repellents are mothballs or moth flakes spread on the ground or put in mesh bags for hanging in a tree. Unfortunately though, no repellent is 100 percent effective, especially if the deer population is high and deer are starving.

Answered on 2/6/2006 by Crocus

Q:

Can I prune my dogwood now?

I have a small Cornus florida that was planted in the Autumn. It is bushier than I would like as I want a tree rather than shrub. Its starting to bud now and I probably should have pruned it in the winter, but is it too late now?

Ideally you should prune this Cornus in late winter or early spring. However you may still get away with it if you do it very soon. Just cut back the branches you don't want by pruning to an outward facing bud.

Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has taken

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Brightly coloured stems can add a hint of winter warmth and the lipstick branches of Cornus alba 'Sibirica' stand out splendidly against the low winter sunshine. This dogwood can also thrive in waterlogged ground so it's particularly useful by a natura

With the garden devoid of summer froth and carpeted in autumn leaves, certain plants shine at this time of year. The well-placed shrub with lipstick stems fire up a winter's day and glow against a winter sunset.